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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170813">Something Blue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewayshedreamed/pseuds/thewayshedreamed'>thewayshedreamed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This Time AU [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Childhood Trauma, Comfort/Angst, Elriel engagement, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heart-to-Heart, Nesta/Azriel brotp - Freeform, Other, POV Nesta Archeron, Trauma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:29:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,534</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170813</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewayshedreamed/pseuds/thewayshedreamed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nesta x Azriel brotp prompt—<br/>Nesta goes with Azriel to buy an engagement ring for Elain. When his past creeps up and threatens to unravel him, Nesta is there to help him put the pieces back together. </p><p>Prompt submitted: I've been thinking about this absolutely fabulous BROtp. I was wondering if you could do something involving Elriel? Maybe Nesta helping Azriel pick a gift or a ring 👀</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elain Archeron &amp; Azriel, Nesta Archeron/Azriel, Nesta Archeron/Cassian, Nesta Archeron/Other(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This Time AU [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Something Blue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nesta noted the tension in Azriel’s shoulders as he stalked toward her car, a bottle of water in his hands. He wore a pair of khaki pants with a long-sleeved, hunter green tee, sleeves pushed up to his elbows. She decided she should tell him he looked nice once he climbed into the car.</p><p>“Hey, Nes,” he announced as he dropped heavily into her passenger seat. “Are you sure you want to drive?”</p><p>“If you ask me one more time, I’m going to choke you,” she deadpanned.</p><p>Azriel laughed softly, nothing more than a brief grumble sounding through the car. He dropped his water bottle into her cup holder and quickly secured his seatbelt, head laid back on the rest.</p><p>“You look handsome,” she crooned, ruffling up his black hair. “I didn’t realize we were supposed to dress up today."</p><p>Nesta gestured toward her own body, clad in leggings and a long sweater. Azriel leaned into the passenger door, and effectively out of Nesta's reach, in order to smooth his hair.</p><p>"There wasn't a dress code or anything. I just wanted to look nice for this. It's only one of the biggest days of my life."</p><p>"I see we're being dramatic today," she said softly, a small smirk across her lips as she backed out of her parking spot.</p><p>The glare Az shot her way would have made a lesser person shudder, but she was used to him by now. If presented with a true threat, she definitely wanted her friend in her corner, but he was harmless as it applied to her. She told him as much.</p><p>The rest of the drive was quiet, the two of them taking in the city of Velaris and people watching as Nesta drove. There was tension radiating from the man sitting next to her, but she wouldn't comment on it. It truly was a big day for Azriel, and she could sympathize with his nerves. Cassian had shared with her before how shot his nerves had been when he went ring shopping for her, so she could only imagine Az was experiencing the same with an intensity true to his nature.</p><p>Nesta slowed the car in front of their first stop for the day. Both of them hopped out and went their separate ways once within the jewelry store to scope out the inventory. When they met in the middle of the large showroom, Az gave her a silent look of communication.</p><p>"Nothing calling out to you?" Nesta asked.</p><p>He offered a quick shake of his head, and the two of them were headed back to the car. On the way to the next jeweler on their list, Azriel pulled his phone from his pocket to review the reference pictures he'd saved. He studied them with rapt attention, nervously running the thumb of his free hand across his bottom lip.</p><p>Azriel startled as Nesta threw her car into park. He'd been totally enraptured in his task and failed to realize they arrived at their second destination. Nesta noted the furrowing of his brow and concern started to weigh heavily on her. She had seen Azriel nervous plenty of times, but there was something haunting him that day. They walked side by side to the door, and she rubbed a supportive hand roughly between his shoulder blades. He managed a small, appreciative smile as he held the door open for her.</p><p>The associate greeted them immediately and promptly started asking Azriel questions about what he was buying and for whom. He let the man know that he was looking for an engagement ring for "her sister", as he gestured toward Nesta with a jerk of his head. The questions came in earnest then. The associate's intentions were pure enough, but Nesta knew of Azriel's tolerance for being berated with questions; particularly when he was anxious already.</p><p>"Maybe you could show us what you have? We could use that as a jumping off point," she suggested.</p><p>Azriel shoved his hands into the pockets of his khakis, shooting a thankful look her way. The store associate led them to the appropriate area quickly and excused himself while they looked around. Her friend's intense focus had returned in spades as he scanned the display cabinet. Nesta followed him, allowing him some space so he didn't feel smothered.</p><p>He saw a couple of rings that interested him, pointing them out quickly to Nesta and shoving his hands back into his pockets. The action didn't go unnoticed, but she thought it best to leave it alone. Her thoughts were interrupted by the store associate anyway, asking them if they'd like to take a look at anything.</p><p>Nesta pointed to one of Azriel's contenders. She took the ring from the associate's hand, holding it delicately between her thumb and forefinger. The process continued that way through several different rings, and Azriel seemed to grow more and more tense with each selection. Before she could pause the associate to pull Az aside, things came to a head on their own.</p><p>"This one right here," the associate explained to them, "has a coordinating men's band. I don't know if it would be to your taste, but I could grab it for you to try."</p><p>"That's okay," Azriel said quickly. "No need to go through the trouble."</p><p>"It's no trouble at all! Maybe it'll help to see them side by side," he insisted.</p><p>Nesta watched signs of her friend's impending panic settle through him and her heart crumpled with the need to rescue him. How many times had Azriel bailed her out and saved her from herself?</p><p>"Wait— it's okay. He actually has a ring already; one passed down through the family," she lied.</p><p>Thankfully, the associate oriented back toward the both of them, his mission forgotten. Nesta passed the diamond ring back to him gingerly to be put back into the case.</p><p>"I think we have some contenders here, Az," she remarked.</p><p>He only nodded, a vacant look in his hazel eyes. Nesta made a show of looking at her watch.</p><p>"Thank you for your time. I just realized we're meeting my sister for lunch, so we can't be late. Could I get your card?" she asked.</p><p>The associate supplied it quickly and jotted down the styles they liked on the back in case they returned. By the time he handed it over, Azriel was already walking out of the store and down the sidewalk. Nesta said goodbye politely and hurried after him.</p><p>She watched as he walked through the rows of cars; on a mission to make it to hers. His shoulders were perched high, nearly touching his ears as he walked. When he arrived at her car, he pulled the handle, only to find it locked. She watched from several yards away as he raked his hands roughly through his hair, before leaning heavily into the door. Her keys were blessedly resting toward the top of her bag, and she pulled them out to unlock the doors for him.</p><p>Azriel heard the locks and immediately threw her door open, dropping into the seat and cradling his face in his large friends. He was rubbing at his face furiously, as if the action could place a hard reset on his nerves. Nesta's pace quickened, and after what felt like an eternity, she made it to the driver's side and was dropping into her own seat.</p><p>She started the car, turning the air conditioner up to max and angling vents toward his face. His cheeks were red from his rough touches, and he groaned as he tried to collect himself. Nesta rested her hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles while she waited. After several quiet moments, it seemed as though Az was still struggling to regain control.</p><p>"Hey," she announced softly. "Take some deep breaths."</p><p>His head snapped up from his hands. "If I'm not turning blue, I'm breathing, Nesta," he snapped.</p><p>Nesta cocked her head at him, as if he'd forgotten his friend entirely. "Then breathe better!"</p><p>Not her finest moment, but she knew Azriel needed to be pulled from his spiraling sooner rather than later. Her angry tone seemed to do the trick, his face softening immediately as he looked at her.</p><p>"Nesta, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"</p><p>"I know, Az. I just needed to snap you out of it," she explained, her voice far softer than before. "Talk to me."</p><p>He was quiet for a moment while he pulled his thoughts together, easing back to lean against the seat.</p><p>"There was a time when I thought saving enough money to buy a ring worthy of Elain would be the hard part. It took a while, but it turned out to be pretty easy to put money away knowing what I would be buying with it." He trailed off, his eyes trained through the windshield as he gathered himself. "Deciding I wanted to marry her... that was the easiest thing I had ever done. But this stuff— the rings, thinking of the ceremony, the traditions, who's supposed to pay for what... it keeps me up at night, Nes."</p><p>Hazel eyes slid her way, and she knew this was one of the moments where she would be one of the few who could truly understand him. Planning her own wedding put into perspective his anxieties, being that he didn't grow up in a traditional household. Thinking of a wedding was probably unearthing all kinds of trauma and things that seemed like insurmountable barriers.</p><p>All that being true, the reason she understood his panic so intimately was because of the wedding itself; being the center of attention, forcing himself through uncomfortable social situations, not being allowed a break from the chaos since it revolved around him, all the pomp and circumstance. He was overwhelmed and over-thinking himself into the ground.</p><p>"I know," she murmured.</p><p>Some of the tension left his shoulders at simply being understood, and she identified with that, too.</p><p>"There are so many beautiful rings in there, and I care. I care that it's perfect because Elain deserves that. I don't want her to look at her hand for the rest of our lives and wonder if I know her at all, you know? But as far as I go, I don't give a shit about any of it. All I want is to marry her, to wake up the next day and get to be us forever after that. I'm so nervous that if I fuck up this first thing, that I'll lose all of it somehow," he rambled.</p><p>"Azriel," she croaked, her chest heavy with his pain.</p><p>"And I know I'm getting ahead of myself. But I can't help but think..." he looked down at his hands resting in his lap, turning them over as he spoke. "... that I don't deserve her; that I won't be able to contribute to her life nearly as much as she does mine. Even trying to plan around my fucked up past and absent family throws a wrench in wedding plans. It makes everything complicated, and it feels like a lot to ask of her."</p><p>He loosed a long, shaky breath before he turned to her. "I'm sorry for ditching you in there. I was already teetering on the edge, and I couldn't bear to, uhh.. to hold the rings. So thank you. For that, and for bailing me out. When he suggested I try a ring on myself, I snapped. I couldn't deal with such a stark contrast of those rings against my scars. It... I don't know. In the moment, it confirmed everything."</p><p>His head landed on the rest behind him, and he rolled it toward the passenger window. Nesta knew he struggled with his past, and understandably so, considering the trauma he had endured in his life. She underestimated how much his happiness with her sister would unearth his issues with self-worth, though.</p><p>"Look at me," she ordered softly, taking one of his scarred hands into her own. He complied, rolling his head toward her. "First of all, don't you ever talk about my best friend like that again."</p><p>She watched as confusion changed to amusement, and he released a small laugh at her scolding.</p><p>"Second of all, Elain loves you so, so much. There's nothing she wouldn't do for you, no part of you that would be too much for her. And when you share all this with her— because you should— I have no doubt that she'll say the exact same thing. She's not going to give a shit about what wedding traditions are possible or impossible. All she's going to care about is you being there with her," she assured him.</p><p>"Third, if you're not ready to do this, Az, there's no rush—"</p><p>"No," he interrupted. "I'm ready. I even picked her ring despite my internal meltdown." He huffed a small laugh. "The second one we looked at when we got here, that's the one. It's perfect. I could picture it on her finger the second he got it out of the case."</p><p>Nesta squeezed his hand in acknowledgment, thanking the Cauldron for the genuine man she would soon call her brother-in-law.</p><p>"Thank you," he said again, squeezing her hand in return.</p><p>"Azriel, of course. Anytime."</p><p>Nesta released his hand, and the two of them resumed their comfortable silence as Az recovered fully. He was the first to break the silence.</p><p>"So, should we go back in and get it?"</p><p>"Technically, we're supposed to be at lunch, so maybe we go grab coffee first and come back." She turned a sideways glance his way. "Although, maybe chamomile tea for you," she teased.</p><p>Azriel rolled his eyes at her, but his smirk betrayed his attempt at exasperation.</p><p>"You're fucking hilarious," he deadpanned. "But you're not wrong, I guess. My nerves aren't exactly great today."</p><p>"Yeah," she agreed as she drove toward the coffee shop. "You got pretty worked up over all that wedding stuff. Elain may not even say yes, so you may have worried for nothing."</p><p>Azriel's eyes grew large as he snapped his head her way. She failed in keeping her face straight through his reaction, a smile cracking through.</p><p>"Nesta!" Azriel exclaimed loudly. "Why the fuck would you say that to me right now?"</p><p>Despite his words, a chuckled bubbled out of his chest. His laugh was her undoing, and she too easily joined him with a laugh of her own. She leaned over to pat his knee gently.</p><p>"Even you have to admit that sounds ridiculous," she replied. "You two were inevitable from the very beginning."</p><p>Azriel's smile remained, his gaze fixed through the windshield. "Yeah, I think so, too," he admitted, his tone wistful. "I love her more than anything."</p><p>"I know," Nesta murmured.</p><p>"Too bad her family is the fucking worst," he muttered as he glanced out his window.</p><p>Her head snapped back as she laughed. Slowly, but surely, her friend was showing himself, and she would be lying if she said it wasn't comforting. When he looked at her, he was wearing a smile of his own, and she knew he meant it.</p><p>"Yeah, well... " she replied, "you're stuck with them now."</p>
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